Based on their numbers on the road and on the amount they travel, large trucks (tractor-trailers, single-unit trucks, and some cargo vans weighing more than 10,000 pounds) account for more than their share of highway deaths. Large trucks have higher fatal crash rates per mile traveled than passenger vehicles, although a higher percentage of large truck travel occurs on interstates, the safest roads.

Most deaths in large truck crashes are passenger vehicle occupants rather than occupants of large trucks. The main problem is the vulnerability of people traveling in smaller vehicles. Trucks often weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger cars.

Truck braking capability can be a factor in truck crashes. Loaded tractor-trailers take 20-40 percent farther than cars to stop, and the discrepancy is greater when trailers are empty, on wet and slippery roads, or with poorly maintained brakes.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 1987. Heavy truck safety study. Report no. DOT HS-807-109. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation. Truck driver fatigue also is a known crash risk. Drivers of large trucks are allowed by federal hours-of-service regulations to drive up to 11 hours at a stretch and up to 77 hours during a 7-day period. Surveys indicate that many drivers violate the regulations and work longer than permitted.
Braver, E.R.; Preusser, C.W.; Preusser, D.F.; Baum, H.M.; Beilock, R.; and Ulmer, R. 1992. Long hours and fatigue: a survey of tractor-trailer drivers. Journal of Public Health Policy 13:341-66.McCartt, A.T.; Hammer, M.C.; and Fuller, S.Z. 1997. Work and sleep/rest factors associated with driving while drowsy: experiences among long-distance truck drivers. Proceedings of the 41st Annual Conference of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, 95-108. Des Plaines, IL: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.McCartt, A.T.; Hellinga L.A.; and Solomon, M.G. 2005. Work schedules before and after 2004 hours-of-service rule change and predictors of reported rule violations in 2004: survey of long-distance truck drivers. Proceedings of the 2005 International Truck and Bus Safety and Security Symposium, CD-ROM, 33-45. Itasca, IL: National Safety Council.

Data subsections:

Trends

A total of 5,027 people died in large truck crashes in 2005. Fifteen percent of these deaths were truck occupants, 71 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 12 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists. Large truck crash deaths have declined 23 percent overall since 1979, when they were at an all-time high. There has been a greater percentage decline in deaths among occupants of large trucks (45 percent) than among occupants of passenger vehicles (16 percent).

Deaths in crashes involving large trucks, 1975-2005

Deaths in crashes involving large trucks, 1975-2005

Year

Passenger vehicle occupants

Large truck occupants

Motorcyclist, bicyclist, and pedestrian deaths

Total*

Num

%

Num

%

Num

%

Num

1975

2,757

64

916

21

528

12

4,305

1976

3,071

63

1,100

22

622

13

4,893

1977

3,631

65

1,229

22

653

12

5,614

1978

3,954

64

1,315

21

776

13

6,160

1979

4,226

65

1,372

21

830

13

6,539

1980

3,623

63

1,183

21

844

15

5,740

1981

3,752

66

1,082

19

772

14

5,680

1982

3,447

67

917

18

679

13

5,125

1983

3,615

67

960

18

732

14

5,404

1984

3,712

67

1,040

19

712

13

5,550

1985

3,825

68

941

17

724

13

5,613

1986

3,752

69

892

16

718

13

5,468

1987

3,833

70

821

15

712

13

5,471

1988

3,938

71

886

16

647

12

5,566

1989

3,847

72

822

15

587

11

5,360

1990

3,790

73

684

13

615

12

5,174

1991

3,447

73

650

14

562

12

4,728

1992

3,300

75

580

13

481

11

4,422

1993

3,611

76

590

12

462

10

4,778

1994

3,764

74

658

13

555

11

5,069

1995

3,626

75

634

13

495

10

4,834

1996

3,866

77

602

12

465

9

5,048

1997

3,991

75

717

14

497

9

5,295

1998

3,981

75

739

14

495

9

5,316

1999

3,916

74

747

14

519

10

5,299

2000

3,863

75

737

14

490

9

5,173

2001

3,709

74

691

14

513

10

5,012

2002

3,616

75

675

14

464

10

4,846

2003

3,595

73

703

14

504

10

4,905

2004

3,693

72

743

15

564

11

5,099

2005

3,561

71

759

15

595

12

5,027

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Ninety-seven percent of vehicle occupants killed in two-vehicle crashes involving a passenger vehicle and large truck in 2005 were occupants of the passenger vehicle.

Note: More than one large truck may be involved in a single crash and the deaths associated with that crash.

Sixty-five percent of large truck occupants killed in multiple-vehicle crashes in 2005 occurred in collisions involving another large truck.

Occupant deaths in large trucks in multiple-vehicle crashes by number of large trucks involved, 2005

Number of large trucks

Deaths

%

1

110

35

≥ 2

206

65

Total

316

100

Eleven percent of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths and 22 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in multiple-vehicle crashes in 2005 occurred in crashes with large trucks.

Occupant deaths in passenger vehicles by crash type and large truck involvement, 2005

Crash type

Large truck crashes

Other crashes

All crashes

Num

%

Num

%

Num

Single-vehicle

0

0

15,398

100

15,398

Multiple-vehicle

3,561

22

12,345

78

15,906

All crashes*

3,561

11

27,761

89

31,322

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Among vehicle occupants killed in large truck crashes, both the rate of passenger vehicle occupant deaths per truck mile traveled
Federal Highway Administration. 2005. Highway statistics, 2005. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation. Available:http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs05/pdf/vm1.pdf. and the rate of large truck occupant deaths per truck mile traveled declined substantially from 1975 to 2005. The percentage decline in the death rate for large truck occupants (70 percent) exceeded the percentage decline in the rate for passenger vehicle occupants (53 percent).

Vehicle occupant deaths in large truck crashes per 100 million truck miles traveled, 1975-2005

Occupant deaths in large truck crashes per 100,000,000 truck miles traveled, 1975-2005

Year

Truck miles traveled
(in millions)

Large truck occupants

Passenger vehicle occupants

Num

Rate

Num

Rate

1975

81,330

916

1.1

2,757

3.4

1976

86,070

1,100

1.3

3,071

3.6

1977

95,021

1,229

1.3

3,631

3.8

1978

105,739

1,315

1.2

3,954

3.7

1979

109,004

1,372

1.3

4,226

3.9

1980

108,491

1,183

1.1

3,623

3.3

1981

108,702

1,082

1.0

3,752

3.5

1982

111,423

917

0.8

3,447

3.1

1983

116,132

960

0.8

3,615

3.1

1984

121,796

1,040

0.9

3,712

3.0

1985

123,504

941

0.8

3,825

3.1

1986

126,675

892

0.7

3,752

3.0

1987

133,517

821

0.6

3,833

2.9

1988

137,985

886

0.6

3,938

2.9

1989

142,749

822

0.6

3,847

2.7

1990

146,242

684

0.5

3,790

2.6

1991

149,543

650

0.4

3,447

2.3

1992

153,384

580

0.4

3,300

2.2

1993

159,888

590

0.4

3,611

2.3

1994

170,216

658

0.4

3,764

2.2

1995

178,162

634

0.4

3,626

2.0

1996

182,971

602

0.3

3,866

2.1

1997

191,477

717

0.4

3,991

2.1

1998

196,380

739

0.4

3,981

2.0

1999

202,697

747

0.4

3,916

1.9

2000

205,791

737

0.4

3,863

1.9

2001

207,686

691

0.3

3,709

1.8

2002

214,603

675

0.3

3,616

1.7

2003

215,884

703

0.3

3,595

1.7

2004

220,811

743

0.3

3,693

1.7

2005

222,836

759

0.3

3,561

1.6

Where and when large truck crashes occurred

Fifty-five percent of deaths in large truck crashes in 2005 occurred on major roads other than interstates and freeways, 31 percent occurred on interstates and freeways, and 10 percent occurred on minor roads.

Deaths in large truck crashes by road type, 2005

Road type

Deaths

%

Interstates and freeways

1,572

31

Major roads

2,785

55

Minor roads

495

10

All road types*

5,027

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Sixty-six percent of large truck crash deaths in 2005 occurred during the day (6am to 6pm), compared with 47 percent of crash deaths involving other types of vehicles.

Deaths in large truck crashes and all crashes by time of day, 2005

Time of day

Large truck crashes

Other crashes

All crashes

Deaths

%

Deaths

%

Deaths

%

Midnight-3am

385

8

5,144

13

5,529

13

3am-6am

474

9

3,015

8

3,489

8

6am-9am

762

15

3,533

9

4,295

10

9am-noon

833

17

3,289

9

4,122

9

Noon-3pm

926

18

4,687

12

5,613

13

3pm-6pm

815

16

6,419

17

7,234

17

6pm-9pm

430

9

6,378

17

6,808

16

9pm-midnight

398

8

5,622

15

6,020

14

Total*

5,027

100

38,416

100

43,443

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Fifteen percent of large truck crash deaths in 2005 occurred on Saturday and Sunday, compared with 38 percent of crash deaths involving other types of vehicles.

Deaths in large truck crashes and all crashes by day of week, 2005

Day of week

Large truck crashes

Other crashes

All crashes

Deaths

%

Deaths

%

Deaths

%

Sunday

304

6

6,748

18

7,052

16

Monday

786

16

4,653

12

5,439

13

Tuesday

875

17

4,230

11

5,105

12

Wednesday

893

18

4,402

11

5,295

12

Thursday

837

17

4,717

12

5,554

13

Friday

861

17

5,985

16

6,846

16

Saturday

471

9

7,670

20

8,141

19

Total*

5,027

100

38,416

100

43,443

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Comparison of large truck crashes and passenger vehicle crashes

Fifty percent of large truck occupant deaths in 2005 occurred in crashes in which their vehicles rolled over. This was lower than the percentage of SUV occupant deaths (60 percent) that occurred in rollover crashes and higher than the percentage of occupant deaths in pickups (46 percent) and cars (24 percent) involving rollovers.

Occupant deaths in large trucks and passenger vehicles by number of vehicles involved, 2005

Crash type

Large truck occupants

Passenger vehicle occupants

Num

%

Num

%

Single-vehicle

442

58

15,398

49

Multiple-vehicle

316

42

15,906

51

All crashes*

759

100

31,322

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Sixteen percent of large trucks in fatal crashes in 2005 were involved in single-vehicle crashes; in contrast, 38 percent of passenger vehicles in fatal crashes were involved in single-vehicle crashes.

Large truck and passenger vehicle involvement in fatal crashes by number of vehicles involved, 2005

Seat belt use among fatally injured large truck and passenger vehicle drivers, 2005

Belt use

Large truck drivers

Passenger vehicle drivers

Num

%

Num

%

Belt used

226

34

9,288

42

Unbelted

320

48

11,103

51

Unknown belt use

118

18

1,489

7

Total

664

100

21,880

100

In contrast with passenger vehicle drivers, large truck drivers killed in fatal crashes rarely have high blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). Truck drivers are subject to strict government regulations concerning drinking and driving. Only 3 percent of fatally injured large truck drivers in 2005 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, down from 17 percent in 1982. Thirty-three percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers in 2005 had BACs at or above 0.08 percent, compared with 51 percent in 1982.

Estimated percent and number of fatally injured large truck and passenger vehicle drivers with BACs ≥ 0.08 percent, 1982-2005